Scouts are our other Troops choice, and they can carry a more diverse armament than even Tactical squads. With Scout and Infiltrate, they can get into the position to engage the enemy in the first turn, or assault in the second turn. They’ve got a weaker statline than full Marines, but they’re quite cheap by way of compensation.
A tried and true configuration is the sniper squad, which takes sniper rifles and camo cloaks. These squads deploy in cover, try to put wounds on enemy infantry and monstrous creatures, and hopefully secure a backfield objective. A heavy weapon is a good choice here. They’re simple to use and, while I’m never amazed by their performance, I’m rarely disappointed either. Sniper Scouts are more attractive when they have Objective Secured, so keep this in mind when running a Baal Strike Force Detachment.
Scouts armed with bolters are enjoying some popularity at the moment, as they allow you to put a lot of fire into the enemy on turn 1, sometimes before they can cast psychic defenses. These squads will work okay with Blood Angels, but are really at their best in Imperial Fist or Ultramarines armies, where their bolter fire is improved. If you want to take this sort of squad, I would just arm the whole squad with bolters, maybe-giving the Sergeant a combi-weapon. A combi-grav is quite useful here, as the Scouts should be close enough to remain stationary in the first turn and fire it to full effect.
The final configuration for Scouts is as an assault squad. These squads will infiltrate and scout to put pressure on the enemy in their first turn, and then assault in the second turn. In Space Marine armies, there is much argument whether these squads should be armed with shotguns or close combat weapons. In that case, the shotgun is slightly better on the charge while the close combat weapon is better in subsequent rounds of assault. For Blood Angels, Furious Charge solves this dilemma, making the close combat weapon better both on the charge and in drawn out combats.
This style is my preferred Scout squad for Blood Angels. It plays to our strengths and will support our generally aggressive armies. If you have the points, you can upgrade to a Veteran Sergeant with a power weapon or fist, but I prefer to keep the squad cheap and just put out as many basic attacks as possible. These squads are cheap, numerous, and do very nice damage for their points as long as you get the charge. I do like to give the Sergeant a meltabomb, just in case they manage to charge a tank.
If you are taking a Baal Strike Force, Scouts become even more attractive. You are no longer concerned with taking durable Objective Secured units. You just need two Troops so you can move on to the units that you really want. In this case, why not take cheap Troops that get the most benefit from the Baal Strike Force’s extra Initiative on the charge? Scouts armed with close combat weapons are the best option here.